Reading Aloud: Creating Connection & Joy

I’m a reader.  But it wasn’t always that way.  Learning to read was difficult for me.  I sounded out all the letters like I was taught to do, and I’d blend the sounds into words as best I could.  Reading was very slow and hard work. I didn’t read fluently and beautifully for a long … Continue reading Reading Aloud: Creating Connection & Joy

A Pause for Celebration

“Sorrow comes in great waves...but rolls over us, and though it may almost smother us, it leaves us. And we know that if it is strong, we are stronger, inasmuch as it passes and we remain.” - Henry James   After the events of the past weeks: the COVID pandemic, George Floyd’s murder, rioting and … Continue reading A Pause for Celebration

Simple Joy

Music, Poetry, Dance, Art, Nature, Food, Friends, Travel - all of these things have given me joy.  When Nature, Friends, and Travel were curtailed by COVID-19,  I turned to music, poetry, dance and art to keep me joyful in these past bleary months.  And so spring came, flowers blossomed, the sky returned to its blissful … Continue reading Simple Joy

Invitations to Wonder…

Last week, Ruth Ayers invited her online writing group (SOS: Sharing Our Stories) to write about 7 small things.  Instead, I chose to write about anger.  Anger is not a small thing.  Anger is a big thing, an explosive thing.  It starts small and then grows. As I read some members' blog posts this week, … Continue reading Invitations to Wonder…

Poet Found: Ross Gay

Back in February, I bought a slim volume of poetry because I loved the cover - a bright floral abstract and the title, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay.  I flipped to the first page - a poem about figs.  Figs - my Grandpa Charlie's favorite and my favorite too.  I often splurge and buy … Continue reading Poet Found: Ross Gay

Being Present to Joy

My colleagues worry about not having time enough to teach.  They have so much content they need and want to cover.  As a curriculum coordinator, I create tons of documents - benchmarks, scope & sequences, lists of standards by grade level to make sure we don't miss teaching one single skill or strategy.  This is … Continue reading Being Present to Joy